Last June the Dodgers found themselves in last place, nine games out of first. The media had Don Mattingly on the Super Chief out of town and back home and was wondering how $200 million in payroll could result in such a dud of a team. Then all they did was go on a near-historic surge and win the NL West going away.

Fast forward to 11 days ago and the Dodgers were flailing again. They stood nine and a half games back of the Giants — who had the best record in baseball — and were once again subject to early obituaries in the press. Even Don Mattingly resumed his role as pessimist, telling reporters to ask the players why they stink because he didn’t know.

Since then, the Dodgers have won eight of 11. The Giants have lost eight of 11. In that time L.A. has gone from 9.5 games behind to 4 games back.

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports Thursday that the Orioles “are said to have begun fielding calls of interest” on superstar Manny Machado and “are close to the point of seriously weighing whether to trade him.”

You’d think it would be a no-brainer for the last-place O’s to flip Machado — an impending free agent — for prospects, but Heyman notes there is “still a question whether or not longtime Orioles owner Peter Angelos” will give the go-ahead. One person familiar with the situation put it a “50-50” likelihood. Another suggested that it would take a massive return, which, sure.

Machado entered play Thursday with a sensational .328/.405/.635 batting line, 15 home runs, and an MLB-leading 43 RBI in 49 games. It’d be a real shock if he’s still wearing an O’s uniform by the end of July.

Heyman reported previously that at least nine teams made aggressive plays for Machado this winter, including the Cubs, Phillies, Dodgers, Indians, Diamondbacks, Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, and Cardinals. A whole lot of those teams still make sense here in late May — maybe all of them except the White Sox.